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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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Approximately sixty years before the war with the [[Interex]], the [[Luna Wolves]] and the [[Word Bearers]] participated in a joint undertaking to subjugate the world of [[Davin]], ruled by a fierce warrior society organized into a series of quasi-religious cults, each of them centred around the veneration of "totem" animals. The Davinites were fierce enemies, worthy of the Legions' admiration, and the [[Space Marines]] could not help but adopt their customs. Before long, similar lodges could be found in the other Legions, forming tight-knit fellowships between "elite" warriors.{{Fn|1a}}
Several of the Legions' more strait-laced officers, such as [[Garviel Loken]] of the Luna Wolves{{Fn|1a}} and , [[Nathaniel Garro]] of the [[Death Guard]]{{Fn|2a}} refused , and [[Macer Varren]] of the [[World Eaters]]{{Fn|3a}}, forbade the men of their [[Companies]] to have anything to do with the lodges. Loken's friends, [[Space Marine Captain|Captain]]s [[Tarik Torgaddon]] and [[Horus Aximand]] both defended their membership in the lodges, arguing that even super-human Astartes needed a place to speak their minds and feel the kinship of their brothers, regardless of rank or unit affiliation. After attending a lodge meeting, Loken was somewhat assuaged, but still had misgivings: the lodges were, after all, a secret institution, and secrecy was anathema to a military organization.{{Fn|1b}}
Eventually, the lodges became the vehicle by which rebellion spread through the Legions, beginning with discontent over the [[Emperor]]'s withdrawal from the Crusade and some of the dictates being issued by the newly-formed [[Council of Terra]]. By the time of the [[Battle of Isstvan III]], the Legions were clearly divided between those officers and marines who would follow [[Horus]] in his treason, and those who would not, leading to the massacre of those loyalist forces at Isstvan.{{Fn|2b}}
The lodges also fostered the appearance of traitor elements within those Legions that remained loyal as a whole during the war, such as the [[White Scars]].{{Fn|3b}}
== Aftermath ==
In [[M41]], ten thousand years after the Heresy, the formation of secret brotherhoods between self-appointed "elite" soldiers was still regarded as a warning sign of [[Chaos]] corruption. [[Commissar]] [[Ciaphas Cain]] made a point of lecturing his students at the [[Schola Progenium]] about it, the better for them to spot, and hopefully head off, the development of [[Traitor Guard]] units.{{Fn|34}}
== Sources ==
**{{Endn|2a}}: {{Cite This}}
**{{Endn|2b}}: {{Cite This}}
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Garro: Sword of Truth (Audio Book)]]**{{Endn|3a}}: {{Cite This}}**{{Endn|3b}}: {{Cite This}}*{{Endn|4}}: [[Cain's Last Stand (Novel)]] - [[Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium (Omnibus)]] by [[Sandy Mitchell]]: Chapter Five, pg. 563
[[Category:Chaos Cults and Mutants]]
